Governor Bob McDonnell has entered the constitutional convention sweepstakes. Yesterday, the Governor announced that he would seek General Assembly approval for a resolution calling for a convention that would produce a balanced budget amendment. It is red meat for the tea party masses, which may just need a bit of protein after their repeal amendment was scuttled in the Democrat-controlled Senate. But why push for this now?
Balanced budget amendments have long been a staple on the right. The closest an amendment came to reality was during the heady days of the Republican Revolution, when an amendment failed to win Senate passage by a single vote. Since then, the effort has languished while federal spending has reach nose-bleed heights under Republican and Democratic regimes.
But the tea party fervor, or what remains of it, seems to have given the idea a bit of hope. Fiscal responsibility is on the lips of Republicans and even a few Democrats (or is while within range of an open microphone). And so into this potentially ripe field the Governor drops his resolution. Half-way through the General Assembly session, mind you, but there it is and he’s got the rhetoric to back it up.
Unfortunately, he makes reference to Virginia’s struggles to balance its own budget during these tough times:
Yes, Virginia government spending was rolled back to 2006 levels – a major achievement. But getting there required using the very same smoke, mirrors, sleights-of-hand and old-fashioned dodges the federal government has long employed. Fees were raised and a few taxes were, too. The state’s pension plan was stiffed and, lest we forget, Uncle Sam showered tens of millions of dollars in stimulus spending on projects and programs to help ease Virginia’s budgetary pain.
Now that tax receipts appear to be recovering a bit, the worthies are planning to return to their old spending ways.
The dirty secret is that Virginia and its sister states are wholly dependent on their wastrel federal Uncle. Remember when Defense Secretary Gates proposed getting rid of the Joint Forces Command and other programs? Virginia’s political class went ballistic.
When Virginia’s pols give up their federally-funded toys, I’ll believe their rhetoric about a balanced budget amendment. Until then…no way.
